Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) National Flag - Korean War
This small, hand-sewn, wool and cotton flag is a field expedient made by soldiers from materials they had at hand. The red star is created by the cutting away of a star-shaped section of the white cloth circle appliquéd to the red center stripe. The fimbriation on either side of the red stripe is made from two strips of white adhesive bandage tape, presumably from a field medical kit.
The flag's previous owner, the now defunct Soldiers' Museum of Davenport, Iowa, reported that it was a GI "Bring Back" from a veteran who served in both WWII and Korea. They identified it as a military vehicle pennant, however its crude construction, cloth ties, and small size make that identification potentially incorrect. It is more likely a personal soldier's patriotic flag that would have been tied to a rifle or staff and used for moral and propaganda purposes.
The flag for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was created in 1948 and while it retained the traditional Korean colors of red, blue, and white, they were rearranged into a new design that was more symbolic of the nation's communist philosophy. As a single-party state, the DPRK makes wide use of flags in political spectacles, military parades and sports. The central red stripe represents the people's revolution and the red star, communism. The two blue stripes stand for sovereignty and peaceful friendship. White is taken to represent purity.
Provenance: Acquired at Internet Auction from the former collections of the Soldiers Museum, 436 W 7th St, Davenport, IA 52803
ZFC Significant Flag
Sources:
Soldiers Museum, Manta, 10 October 2011, from:
http://www.manta.com/c/mt4g67g/soldiers-museum
Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Flags of the World, 10 October 2011, from:
http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/kp.html
North Korea, Wikipedia, 10 October 2011, from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korea
